Self-empowered Beauty

Photography by Dreamstate / ShandrewPR

Victoria Elise is a model and stock trader who has appeared in prominent publications the likes of Maxim, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, FHM, Askmen, and Mandatory.

When Victoria isn’t modeling, she works as a part-time daytrader while going to school for Business Administration/Economics at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Wanting to do something with the money she made from modeling work, Victoria put her burgeoning economics knowledge to understand stocks. It started off with a purchase of BRK Class B stock and practicing with trading platform ThinkorSwim. That has allowed her to build instincts and work daytrading while still in school. Victoria is currently under a mentorship with a trader. She plans to pursue an MBA in Healthcare Administration come January 2020.

Victoria was a semi-finalist in ‘Maxim’s Finest’ competition and finalist as a ‘Hometown Hottie’. More recently, she was featured on Paramount Network’s hit reality series Bar Rescue.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Victoria calls Las Vegas home with her cocker spaniel, Todd. When she isn’t busy with school or daytrading, Victoria can be found working out with her personal trainer, hiking, painting, and going out for sushi. She is of African American, Cherokee, and French descent.

“When I first started out modeling, I was 20, had a 1996 Honda Accord, and $400 to my name. I moved to Vegas and in between shoots. I picked up odd and end jobs initially to pay the bills. First, at a Mexican cantina, then doing nightclub bartending, and next moved my way to bottle services (which pays significantly more). I learned a lot from watching aspiring models just like me working and living in the same city.

There are thousands of beautiful women from every corner of the world who come to Vegas.

I saw the same story countless times throughout the last decade. Models just like me would throw away their money on living beyond their means, living a luxurious life thinking that would be it until the end of time. You’d be surprised how many models don’t think about their future or have no plan for life after modeling. No dreams of a home, ambitions for higher education, a fund for a rainy day. The reality is you only have a set timeframe to model, just like a professional sports career. This job is a means to an end, not a career in and of itself. I ended up using my earnings to put myself through school for economics to achieve stability and future wealth. Being an economics major, I’ve learned so much of how our economy and markets work, and it’s helped me understand the concept and usage of money all the better.

I’ve reflected on my time modeling and how other models spend their money. There are some important take aways that can apply not just to this field but to everyone reading this.

Set aside whatever earnings you make as early as you can. If you invest in your 20s, you can make substantially more than someone say in their 30’s or 40’s. A thousand-dollar investment at the age of 20 with a contribution of $50 a month at 4% interest would yield roughly $62,000 by the time that person is 60 years old. If you made the same investment at 30 years old, you’d only put away $37,000. Ten years can make a huge difference in your financial future.

These are not even large sums of investment, just ones the average model or person can set aside. The take away is to set aside what you can and as often as you can. Never assume you can make more money later because oftentimes that never bears itself out.

As tempting as it is, don’t consider it your money because then you’ll borrow against your own future. You might see a few thousand dollars and think, well, I can always put back more later. Except, you’ll do it again and again. A pinch here and a pinch there can lead to some serious depletion of your funds. The temptation is there, but just consider this money out of sight and out of mind.

After I had paid off my debt doing bottle service work, I wanted to do something with some of the money I had set aside. The first stock I purchased was BRK Class B (non-voting stock, it’s cheaper). After I started going to school for economics, I really wanted to take trading more seriously. I read as much material as I could find and watched as many videos as I could on the topic. I downloaded a trading platform called ThinkorSwim, practicing with pretend stock trades. Try it with the penny stocks, S&P 500 stocks. Get a sense of the market overall and hone in on your instincts without the pressure of losing your money. Once I felt more comfortable, I went for the real deal. You make mistakes, but at least this way you aren’t going to lose your shirt making rookie mistakes. Much like modeling, you practice to get the feel of things and once you’re ready, you go for the real thing.

You learn everything you can and learn from your experiences.

Another lesson from modeling is I would never consider trading a career path. It should be something to do on the side. The money and lifestyle can be enticing, but you can only do it for so long. You should have other aims in mind. This is a means to an end. There’s a lot of risk in trading. That’s why I suggest to friends and family that they invest long term – bonds, IRAs, CDs, mutual funds, properties. Trading can be extremely rewarding and the high from a good day intoxicating – much like modeling. You are able to have amazing experiences and a good day can provide a good chunk of your earnings for a while. Just remember to use that time and money to focus on endeavors that will help you build a future.

To summarize it all up:

1. Never think good money is forever. It comes and goes, so it’s best to have a plan in place.

2. When you’re working in one area/field, learn more about your other interests.

3. Always put some kind of money aside. 50 dollars or 500 dollars a month goes a long way towards financial security.

4. Look into investing your earnings somehow. Learn to trade, look into long-term investments, or as a last resort pay someone to help you like a financial advisor/fiduciary.

5. Learn everything you can and never stop learning.” – Victoria Elise